Modernly, many items include electronic circuitry which sends or receives signals or power by wire, rather than wirelessly. Electrically connecting and disconnecting such items can be a difficult when the connection point is located in a cramped or other difficultly accessed space. Furthermore, such connecting and disconnecting can be dangerous, again due to the location of the connection point and potentially due to the proximity of high power sources.
Photovoltaic panels used in rooftop solar energy collectors require close installation, and rapid connection and disconnection of their electrical and mechanical parts. These maneuvers are awkward and hazardous to perform on a pitched roof or other precarious location.
Another drawback of many existing electrically interconnected devices is the need to physically disconnect the device from its neighbors in order to have access to its electrical interconnecting lines. As disclosed in Elisary, U.S. Patent Publication No. 20130333303, incorporated herein by reference, many aesthetically pleasing rooftop solar energy collectors involve relatively complex physical interconnection due to the rigorous environment of the rooftop where maintaining a rugged seal against the weather elements is of primary concern. Therefore, removing a single damaged collector from an array of collectors can be especially difficult.
In the context of household electrical sockets, there are often times when the power to a particular socket needs to be shut off. In the past, this usually requires disengaging the circuit supplying that particular outlet by switching off the entire circuit at the household circuit-breaker box. Such activities can be difficult due to restricted access to the circuit box, lack of knowledge as to which of plural circuits must be switched off, and the inconvenient disabling of other electrical devices powered by the circuit being switched off Because of the dangers inherent to household level electrical power, a device which enhances safety while providing superior and reliable performance is desirable.
In addition, many households must contend with the presence of unsupervised small children. In such situations it may be desirable to de-energize certain ones of a plural number of electrical outlets on a single electrical circuit which is desired to remain energized. For example, a particularly accessible outlet in a children's playroom is often sought to be de-energized. This can often involve to use of expensive and potentially ineffective protective locking plugs or relatively permanently obscuring housings which severely reduce the ability to conveniently use the outlet.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus which addresses one or more of the above identified inadequacies. Specifically, for example, it would be useful for a device that could facilitate and expedite the installation or replacement of physically and electrically interconnected solar panels without complex manipulation.